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ruthdelacruz | Travel and Lifestyle Blog

Ruth dela Cruz is a travel and lifestyle blogger in the Philippines. She loves writing about her travels. Drop her a note at admin@ruthdelacruz.com. The internet knew her as @ruthilicious.

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March 20, 2014

What to Do with Old and Used Brassieres?

I had another closet clean up last week, and the pile of old brassieres greeted me once again. I added some more in the pile. I thought my size is surprisingly getting bigger as I age. I am past the adolescence stage - so I am not sure if I should be happy about the change in size. I know I have worn the wrong size of bra for several years (that's a different story I will blog about soon).

The dilemma: I honestly don't know how to dispose them. Unlike most of the other clothes than can easily be used as rag, brassieres are tricky to dispose. I was thinking of just burning them.

Until, I found this release and found out that we can donate old and used brassieres to Ciudad Medical Zamboanga’s (CMZ) Breast Wellness Center for its Bra to Raise Awareness (BRA) campaign. This is to build a monumental bra edifice on March 21.

How about that? Your bra will be a part of a great artwork! The BRA Campaign is composed of Zamboanga artists led by international artist Rameer Tawasil who will create a huge BRA installation art to be called the Ciudad de Zamboanga BREAST (Bra to Raise Early Awareness for Screening and Treatment) Art — a 3D, sculpture-like edifice made of individual bras.

According to Tawasil, CMZ’s BREAST Art is a form of art expression to be placed outside CMZ which can be seen by the public thus, effectively creating curiosity among viewers and raising awareness of the advocacy.

Currently, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the Philippines with the country having the highest incidence rate in Asia. Unfortunately, survival rate in the Philippines is below 40 percent compared to the high survival rates of 80 percent to 98 percent in developed countries.

According to the World Health Organization, most breast cancer deaths are from cases diagnosed in late stages, proving that awareness and early detection play a key role in battling the disease.

“The number of deaths from breast cancer can be greatly reduced if women know how to do self-breast examination, when to have breast cancer screenings and how to take care of their health, especially those who have history of cancer in the family,” said Dr. Marissa Lim of CMZ’s Breast Wellness Center.

This reminded me that I should do breast checks regularly.

CMZ still needs old and used bra donations for its BRA project. In Zamboanga, BRA drop boxes are placed in different strategic locations such as hospitals, offices, banks and schools.

On the other hand, CMZ’s partner, HealthSolutions Enterprises, Inc., is inviting non-residents of Zamboanga to be a part of this project as well. Contact Ciudad Medical Zamboanga’s Breast Wellness Center at (062) 992-7330 local 1278 for more information on the BRA Campaign and see how you or your organization can help.